31 MARCH 2015

Shiming Has An American Dream

Double Olympic boxing champion Zou Shiming from China says it is his dream to make a big name for himself in the United States.

The 32-year-old, who has fought just twice as a professional, is also a three-time amateur world champion, is attempting to become the first Chinese boxing superstar a sport that was once banned in his country.

Top American promoter Top Rank hopes the flyweight’s popularity will open the door to a lucrative and untapped market.

Zou, though, Olympic is looking in the opposite direction.

"When I first started practicing boxing, I saw from television that a lot of fights were held in the US, so it’s my dream to fight there," Zou told AFP ahead of his fight on July 27 in Macau against Mexico’s Jesus Ortega (3-1, 2 KOs).

"In recent years, China is paying more attention to boxing. I will start by fighting in Macau or Asia first, and then hope finally I will have the chance to fight in the US."

The softly spoken Zou, who is from Guizhou province, in southwestern China, says that he wants to be challenging for a world title a couple of years". But he admits that it is a steep learning curve.